Curry, Squash, and Black Bean Soup

Since I tend to make soup on the fly, Nate suggested that I write down this recipe to remember it in the future.  We eat soup every week, so this Indian spiced concoction was a nice change from some of our regular soup recipes.  This is a comforting soup in cold weather!  We enjoyed it with a jar of homemade applesauce from our friend Amy.

Curry, Squash, and Black Bean Soup Recipe

1 large pot of homemade beef or chicken broth
1 bag of black beans, soaked overnight and cooked until tender
1 large can of petite diced tomatoes
1 medium to large butternut squash, peeled and diced
1/3 head of cabbage, chopped
2 onions, diced
5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
2 heaping tsp. sea salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. black pepper, to your liking
1 Tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. dried cilantro or 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 to 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (add enough to brighten the flavor)
Optional - 1 lb. cooked ground beef (really beef, pork, chicken or sausage would all go well with this soup, but it would be good without the meat, too.)

Place all ingredients into large soup pot.  If using fresh cilantro, wait to throw it in until the last 10 minutes of cooking.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, or until squash and onion are tender.  Throw in cooked ground beef and add apple cider vinegar.  Enjoy!

Dirt Fun

Halloween 2010

 At first, Gunnar did not want his costume on, especially the hood.  But after catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he was smitten with being dressed up like a giraffe.  Julius picked this costume out for himself last year, but when we got home we realized it was too small for him.  So we laid it aside until this year.  Perfect fit for Gunnar!

 Layla knew as soon as she saw this costume that it had to be hers.  She likes to be pretty, girlie things for Halloween the past few years.  I would have to recommend looking into thrift and consignment stores for costumes.  Layla and Gunnar's costumes came from a consignment shop and they were each only $8!  I thought those prices were great for the high quality of the costumes.  Julius' came from a thrift store for only $3.  He saw Sponge Bob and his mind was made up!

All evening long, Julius could not keep his hands off of his Sponge Bob eyes, thus confirming another very good reason God created the male and female anatomy different, lol!

 The kids chose to paint their pumpkins this year instead of carving them.  To say Daddy was quite happy with this decision would be an understatement.  Last year Nate labored intensely on the kid's pumpkins.  This year he was happy to just help the kids along with their creations.

If you are interested in seeing what the kids looked like last Halloween, go check "Halloween 2009" out!  I can't believe how much they have grown this past year!